Monthly Archives: August 2008

How to Give your Horse an IM Injection

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, Horse care, horse health, horses and tagged with , , ,

In my last post I wrote about coming home from vacation to find my horse needed IM injections for two weeks. I had never given one, but I figured now was an excellent time to learn how. It’s impractical (and would be cost prohibitive) to ask your vet to come twice a day. So, I called a friend who told me, “it’s easy.” Then I went onto the Internet and found this illustrated guide. Here is another good resource.

Giving an IM shot proved to be relatively simple:

  • Clean the area with alcohol (some sites say this isn’t necessary, but I don’t think it can hurt)
  • Insert the needle deep into the muscle
  • Attach the syringe
  • Aspirate (pull back on the plunger to make sure you are in the muscle, not in a vein). Some medications can be harmful if incorrectly injected.
  • Inject the medication slowly.
  • Watch your horse for an adverse reaction.
  • Dispose of the used needle and syringe properly.
ar area of the neck is one of the easiest places to give an IM injection.

This triangular area of the neck is one of the easiest places to give an IM injection.

But it’s always something. When I returned from vacation, The woman giving Kroni his injections had given them all in his neck. After several days of 2x/day shots, his neck was so sore that he would no longer stretch down and eat his grain from his feed dish. I immediately started him on bute and learned to find alternative injections sites: I found that rotating left neck, left buttock, right neck, right buttock worked very well. I did not try the pectoral muscles as it just looked more complicated.

My horse is very tolerant of being stuck with a needle, so I did not need to distract him. If your horse is needle shy, you can distract him by pinching the skin and inserting the needle next to the pinched area or tapping the horse several times and then inserting the needle instead of a tap. I’ve always thought that would be a sure way of alerting your horse to an imminent injection, so that might work better with the occasional stick rather than the heavy duty, several times per day routine.

While adverse reactions are infrequent, there are some risks to performing IM injections. These include:

Dependent Oedema – a mild, cool swelling that can occur after IM injection into the chest muscles. It normally will resolve itself over time, but if the swollen area is warm, the horse seems to be in pain or is lethargic, it’s a good idea to call your vet.

Abscesses and Bacterial Infections are associated with certain medications. The most common one is flunixin meglumine (Finadyne®). One of the most serious side effects of an intramuscular injection of this drug can be a bacterial infection involving Clostridium spp. This is a severe infection that requires veterinary care. Banamine is also associated with bad reactions when delivered through IM injection, and it is recommended that you do not inject it.

Procaine Reaction – occurs as a reaction to procaine penicillin when the procaine gains access to the circulatory system and causes intense constriction of the blood vessels in the brain. It is very important that when you give this medication that it is not injected into a vein. If this reaction occurs, it manifests itself in ways that vary from muscle twitching to kicking, pawing, seizures, and even sudden death.

Finding a Good Horse Sitter can be Difficult

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, Horse care, horse health, horses and tagged with ,

I’ve just come back from a short vacation to Cape Cod. What helped me really enjoy this time away was that I found a horse sitter who has been taking excellent care of my horses when I travel. When you take care of your own horses, going on vacation poses a problem. While dogs can be boarded and cat sitters are relatively easy to find, that’s not always the case with horse sitters. I’ve found it difficult (and expensive) to find people who are reliable, trustworthy and capable.

I’ve had several less-than-ideal experiences during the 8 years that I’ve kept my horses at a co-op barn. When I’m out of town I like to hire someone to give them a good once-over daily and clean their stalls. In a pinch I’ll ask my barn mates or a friend, but I feel more comfortable hiring someone whom I have paid so that caring for my horses is a priority for them.

The first time I had a problem was when I was in Florida, on vacation with my family. I had hired a woman who had worked for me several times before. The vacation hadn’t started well: hours after we arrived, both kids came down with a stomach bug. The kicker came the next morning when I picked up a voice message from my horse sitter saying she wasn’t going to be showing up because I hadn’t confirmed before I left. This puzzled me. I had called her, arranged the dates, and left her a check and a full list of instructions, exactly as I had on all the previous times she’d worked for me. I called her back and groveled. She agreed to come in and feed and I crossed her off my list.

The next person I used enthused to me about her qualifications, her reliability and her horse handling skills. She charged top dollar and said she was worth it. Among other things, she promised that she would groom the horses daily and go over them carefully for scrapes and cuts. She came with a reference from a trainer that I knew and trusted, knew my vet, and she lived in my town so she would be close by.

The first time I used her, I came back and discovered that she had neglected to feed my horses according to my instructions. When I asked her about it, she said something along the lines of, I guess I didn’t read that part. Shame on me — that should have rung a lot of warning bells. My instruction sheet is clear and succinct.

But, I needed someone to watch my horses when my family and I went to England for two weeks, and I figured that if I went over the list carefully, it should be fine.

When the plane landed and I turned on my cell phone, I discovered that assumption was wrong. I had 12 voice messages that led me through the chronology of an injury to one of my geldings that had escalated in severity over the course of the calls. Despite the fact that I had left two contact numbers in England, I had received no call from her. A call to my vet revealed that much of the problem was due to negligence.

Despite her assurance that she would go over my horses daily, it turns out that for several days she had glanced at them in their stalls while she cleaned around them. After several days she discovered that one of my horses didn’t want to walk and when she pulled him out of his stall she found that one hind leg was grossly swollen. Even then, when she called the vet, she told the office that she thought it was just an infected insect bite, so they didn’t come until the next day.

When the vet arrived he found that my horse had been kicked in the stifle. It was a very deep cut that was now extremely infected and could no longer be stitched. The treatment included IV antibiotics, then two weeks of two kinds of IM antiobiotics, then 10 days of oral antibiotics. Yes, my horse recovered fully, and for that I am grateful. However, the $750 vet bill would have been significantly lower had she found the kick the day it happened and gotten treatment promptly. To add insult to injury, she charged me an additional fee for coming back an extra time each day to give the IM shots — and she wanted me to bring her the cash the day after I returned!

Here’s what I’ve learned from my experiences about finding and evaluating a horse sitter.

  • Check references carefully and ask for several. Find out if the sitter has had to deal with an injury in the past and how they handled the situation.
  • Evaluate how the horse sitter interacts with you. Do they ask good questions? Do they listen to your answers? Or do they spend the time talking about themselves and their experiences. You want someone who feels comfortable asking questions.
  • Walk them through your feeding and turnout routine and watch how they handle your horse(s).
  • Develop a detailed checklist of instructions and go through them line by line with the horse sitter. Don’t assume that just because you wrote it, they will read it.
  • Contact your vet and let them know you will be away. Most vets ask for a letter of authorization to treat your horse in your absence. If you don’t have an account with the vet, it’s a good idea to leave them a credit card number.
  • Be explicit about how your horse sitter should contact you and under what circumstances you want them to call. My errant sitter said she didn’t want to me to worry while I was on vacation, so she hadn’t called me. I would have preferred to be involved with my horse’s treatment. I certainly could have reduced the cost by ordering some of the antibiotics from a pharmacy instead of having the vet supply all of them.
  • Try to find someone whose judgment you trust. Common sense is sometimes in short supply, but you need a person who can make a good decision when you’re not there.
  • Pay a competitive rate. You want someone who feels valued for their time and experience.
  • Ideally, you would like to find someone who is bonded and insured, but that is more difficult to find (at least in my area).

Then go and enjoy yourself. Most of the time, everything goes just as it should!

Safety Stirrups for Olympians

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, Competition, English Riding, equestrian, Equine Safety, olympics and tagged with , , , ,

Safety stirrups are no longer to be relegated to riding schools and beginners.

Rodrigo Pessoa Rides with the new Xup Safety Stirrup

Rodrigo Pessoa Rides with the new X'up Safety Stirrup

Rodrigo Pessoa and Ludger Beerbaum are among the Olympians who use an innovative (and expensive — to the tune of 265 Euros) new safety stirrup called the X’up, made by Freejumpsystem, a French company that’s mission is to introduce technical products that ensure better safety, improved performance and greater comfort.

The stirrups appear a bit odd, with one side open, it looks almost like it’s just broken. However, look at them up close and you’ll see a high tech piece of equipment that looks space age in comparison to most riding gear.

The X’up stirrup features an automatic release

Xup Stirrups are very high tech!

X'up Stirrups are very high tech!

feature that is based on the technology used for ski bindings and bike pedals. The stirrup essentially clips onto the bottom of your boot and releases if the rider falls. The company also sells matching Es’one shoes and Mini chaps.

Certainly, the riding in safety stirrups reduces the risk of serious industry. They have just never looked so cool until now. Definitely, this is not your father’s Peacock stirrup!

Limbering Up your Horse with Basic Stretches

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, equine massage, Horse care, horse health, Natural remedies and tagged with , , , ,

Many people have heard that “carrot stretches” or the “tail stretch” can help your horse stay supple and loosen up tight muscles. Theses stretches take only a few minutes and are a great way to end a grooming routine.

The beauty of the Internet is now there are videos on line that show you how to perform these stretches safely and properly. In these two videos, the stretches are demonstrated by Dr. Joanna Robson, a veterinarian from Napa, Calif. (Please note that these videos used to be posted on Google video and could be embedded. Unfortunately, you now have to link to them on the Baystate Equestrian Network site, which is a great resource).

The Carrot Stretch

The Tail Stretch

Olympic Horses with Humble Beginnings

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, Competition, dressage, equestrian, equine, Eventing, Horse breeds, olympics and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Many of us dream of finding horses with International potential in a backyard barn or turned out in a field.

There are two horses competing this year that fall into that category — they started out in careers that did not generally lead to Olympic success.

Amy Tryon and Poggio II

Amy Tryon and Poggio II

Poggio II, Amy Tryon’s eventing mount, worked as a pack horse in the Cascade mountains after washing out as a race horse. Amy and a friend purchased him 10 years ago for $2500 from a classified ad, based on his bloodlines. Within a year he was the first horse Tryon rode in a world-class eventing competition. His star has continued to rise. Poggio II is the only horse to qualify for every U.S. national team over the last six years.

He won an individual bronze medal at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Germany and helped the U.S. equestrian team to a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics and gold at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Spain.

The 2008 Olympics will be the 16 year old Poggio’s last international event.

Balagur, the dressage horse ridden by Russia’s Alexandra Korelova, had an even more improbable start. The 17 year old gelding began his career as a circus horse. He was then bought by the mounted police, where he remained until the age of 10. The late Elena Petushkova, one of Russia’s greatest Dressage riders, saw him in a parade and thought he had the potential to perform piaffe and passage. That potential has certainly been realized — like Poggio, Balagur is a two-time Olympian. And he seems to be getting even better with age. This year at the FEI World Cup™ Dressage qualifier in Neumünster, Alexandra and Balagur scored a perfect 10 for their piaffe. Balagur and Alexandra are currently in 5th place in the Olympic Dressage competition.

There’s another interesting element to Balagur’s story. While most of the Olympic competitors are “classic” warmbloods, Balagur is a Russian Orlov Trotter, a breed developed to pull carraiges. Not only is he the only Orlov Trotter in the Olympics, he’s the Orlov Trotter that has put the breed on the International map. Heck, most people have never even heard of this breed, which was created in Russia in the 18th century. The breed, which was developed by Count Alexey Orlov at his Khrenovsky Stud farm in the European part of Russia, is known for its fast trot and outstanding stamina. The foundation sire was a Turkish Arabian stallion, Smetanka, who had short legs and an unusually long body. This was caused by the presence of an extra pair of ribs, which became one of the characteristics of the new breed. The breed almost disappeared in the early 20th century, but today 15 stud farms in Russia and the Ukraine exist.

Reille Hunter (Lisa Druck) Familiar to the Hunter/Jumper Show Scene

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, Competition, equestrian, horses and tagged with , , , ,

Some people just have a talent for staying in the public eye. And not for their good works.

Reille Hunter, who has made headlines as the “other woman” in Senator John Edwards’ life, first came to public attention when her name was Lisa Druck and her father, James Druck was implicated in the now well-publicized equine insurance frauds whereby expensive show horses were killed in order to collect on insurance policies. In fact, he is supposed to have shown Tommy “the Sandman” Burns how to electrocute horses and bought him the equipment needed to perform the task. Furthermore, Lisa’s show hunter, Henry the Hawk, was one of the first victims; Druck needed money and wasn’t able to sell the horse for the full $150,000 for which he was insured.

There was a recent article in ESPN, Edwards’ “other woman” revives memories of a gruesome scandal, by Lester Munson that details the connection. Munson was an investigative reporter who wrote about the original insurance fraud scandal in 1992.

For those interested in the case, there is an excellent book, “Blood Money,” written by William Nack. It’s a chiling story that details how certain horse owners dealt with horses that no longer performed up to par, making them worth more dead than they were alive. Several big names in the elite circle of equestrian competition were brought down by the scandal; some are still barred from competing — and even from watching — shows today.

Apparently, Lisa Druck was at the barn when Tommy Burns enabled her father to collect the $150,000 insurance money on her jumper. How much she knew, is not published. But in a tantalizing glimpse of the truth, much of her life was documented in a book by Jay MacInerny, “The Story of my Life,” where she appears as the character Alison Poole. Perhaps Senator Edwards should have read the book before she added the latest chapter!

After the Fall — ESPN’s Critique of Eventing Dials Down on the Dangers of the Sport

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, Competition, equestrian, Equine Safety, Eventing and tagged with , , , ,

The safety issues that plague the sport of eventing are still getting a lot of press. ESPN recently aired a segment (now published on their Web site) that was pretty shocking. I originally had mentioned it in a post a few days ago, but since watching it today, I feel it deserves its own post. I also decided that the since the content is graphic and upsetting, I would post a link to the video rather than embed it.

ESPN has footage of some of the worst eventing falls, including the recent rotational falls of Darren Chiacchia riding Baron Verde and Laine Ashker’s fall on Frodo Baggins. They are both horrifying to watch. I hadn’t seen Darren’s fall before and  you can understand why bystanders thought he had been killed: the stillness is ominous. The fact that he survived, and the horse walked away uninjured is amazing. You certainly get a clear understanding of what a rotational fall looks like, and the piece emphasizes that it is the rotational falls that have been the cause of so many rider deaths.

Much of the rest of video is culled from years of competition, which is slightly unfair since they are making the point that so many accidents have happened in the past two years (16 riders and 12 horses have died, if you count the death of a British rider last weekend). It paints eventing in the worst possible light and maybe that’s what is needed to stimulate change. Maybe this will encourage the use of collapsible fences, better course designs and a re-evaluation of the short format (ESPN’s commentator points out that by shortening the courses significantly, but keeping the same number of jumping challenges, the courses have become more technically challenging).

But veteran eventer Bruce Davidson also points out the need for rider responsibility, the time it takes to develop the appropriate skills, and the need to resist accelerating up the levels even if you can afford to buy a horse that’s capable of jumping the bigger fences. 

It’s really a shame that the sport has developed such a terrible reputation because at the lower levels, it is truly fun, and probably still is pretty safe. I evented only through the Novice level of competition, where the fences are only 2’11″ and no real technical questions are asked of horse and rider. My memories of it are the sheer exhilaration of galloping cross country, challenged but not terrified of the fences; the camaraderie and friendliness of the other competitors; and the sense that this was a sport where the riders cared about riding, rather than just looking pretty over fences in a ring.

I hope that videos like the one produced by ESPN help to bring the sport back to a place where more people can enjoy it, rather than kill it off.

Move Over Radar, the World’s Largest Horse may well be Poe!

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equestrian, equine, horses and tagged with , ,
Poe may well be the new tallest horse in the world.

Poe may well be the new tallest horse in the world.

Although his official height has not yet been confirmed, rumor has it that Poe, an 8 year old Clydesdale gelding that stands at 20.2 hands may well take over the Guinness World Record for the tallest horse.

Radar, a Belgian Draft Horse, is the current record holder, standing at a mere 19.3 1/2 hands.